My 4.700 mile trip to Slovenia and Croatia
 

Safely back home after yet another long 4.700 mile (about 7.500 km) trip to Slovenia and Croatia, I just posted the trip report and the photo-album (+/- 80 photos) in my website at:

http://pierre.inazores.com

The journey, initiated on June 7th, lasted for 14 days, 7 of which on the road, riding our Yamaha FJR 1300/A and crossing seven different countries (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia).

Our destination was the heavenly isle of Brac, one of the most beautiful and sought after destinations in Croatia.

http://pierre.inazores.com/img/croacia20_p.jpg
The tranquility of Brac island, in Croatia

Our trip also included, among others, visits to the Slovene city of Piran, a magnificent medieval city by the Adriatic Sea, and to the Croat city of Dubrovnik, also known as the "Perl of the Adriatic", which forced us to a troubled incursion into Bosnia-Herzegovina.

http://pierre.inazores.com/img/croacia25_p.jpg
Elisa on my FJR 1300/A, in Brac

You’ll find all the details in my trip report. I hope you enjoy it http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

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Pierre Lima
web: http://pierre.inazores.com

[This message has been edited by apierre (edited 28 July 2005).]

Nice story and great pics Pierre, looks like you had a great time, thanks for sharing.

Skillo

You really did 7500km in 7 days??? I bet your bum needs a rest now.

Yes I did … although with the bum a little squared at the end http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

Nothing too hard after a 1755 km non-stop riding, from Marseille (in France) to Lisbon, last year, when returning from our 6000 km trip to Sardinia. At that time we rode for 15 hours on a 18 hour journey. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif


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Pierre Lima
web: http://pierre.inazores.com

Hi Pierre.
Anything i should look out for/take special care with when riding through Slovenia,Slovakia,etc..?I'll be doing a similar trip in September with my mate(XL600LMF and Dominator 650),and you obviously have very fresh experience with these countries.Especially petrol stations as my mate's Domi has only got a small tank?Any info greatly appreciated......
Jon

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Just going for a short ride on my bike....

JonStobbs,
nothing to worry while riding through Croatia or Slovenia, try to avoid motorways to see the best of countries. There is a lot of petrol stations in both countries, same as in west Europe, no difference. Depending or route you choose, I can recommend you some attractions, mostly missed by motorbiking majority :-)
Regards,

AnteK, XTZ 660

Thanks AnteK,any info on interesting places would be great.Also,we're both experienced off-roaders(even loaded up with our gear) and would like to explore some tracks in your country maybe.What is the situation regarding the legal use of tracks there?Is it allowed?If so,what maps are the best to get to find them?We kinda like camping in the middle of nowhere,halfway up a mountain.....

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Just going for a short ride on my bike....

Another question that i forgot about....are Euro's accepted only near the western border of Slovenia or can we get by with them almost anywhere in the country?If not,where is the best place to change either Euro's or GBP sterling(bank,post office,etc...)?

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Just going for a short ride on my bike....

JonStobbs, Euro is mostly accepted everywhere, but better is change Euro into "kuna", domain currancy. You can do it in every bank or exchange office, they are widely spread around country. Regarding offroad, or better to say, unpaved roads: there is a lot of interesting areas in Croatia, mostly around Velebit mountain. But first you need to roughly describe me your planed route. Also, maybe I can join you in a day or two, you can also contact me on HU Community, Osijek, Croatia. Send me a message when find out exact date of coming, so we can meet.
Regards,

AnteK, XTZ 660

Thanks Antek.We don't have a planned route as such,or even an exact date as we just"sail with the wind",just going where we feel like and see how far we get.I'll send you an email before we leave though,as it would be great to meet up with you for a beer/to ride together for a bit.I'm having difficulty finding good maps here though.There seem to be loads of the "tourist" maps just showing main roads/tourist attractions,but as yet nothing with a good detail.Can i get better ones from garages,post offices,etc?
Jon

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Just going for a short ride on my bike....

JonStobbs, no problems for maps here, you can by enough detailed map on each bigger petrol station. Furthermore, search on amazon.co.uk, there are surely good croatia maps there.
Regards,

AnteK, XTZ 660

I get to Slovenia and Croatia at least once a year (riding a ST1100), and I think those two countries are just great - personal security and freedom from worry are darn close to being on par with Switzerland. Any road that has been built or improved in the last 10 years will be to the highest standard. Minor roads might sometimes be a little rough, but not as bad as, for example, Ireland.

Slovakia is a nice place too, though not quite as high up the pole as Slovenia and Croatia. But, you can buy fuel just about anywhere in Slovakia just by shoving a credit card into the pump - the gas stations will be just as modern (if not more so) that what you will find at home. Once you get off the main roads in Slovakia, then you find that the country is a bit more interesting than the rest of Europe - McDonald's hasn't quite reached every little village yet.

In summary - no worries in Slovenia or Slovakia, although you can expect a slightly higher standard of development in Slovenia.

Michael

PS: I forgot to mention that in any of those three countries, you can get all the money you need out of an ATM, just about anywhere, provided you have a bank card that is part of one of the major networks (Cirrus, Maestro, etc.). I never bother to get local money ahead of time for any of those three countries - I just ride into the country, then hit an ATM at the first town I come to. If it is after dark on a Sunday night and the ATM is busted and you are out of gas - someone will always be willing to feed you and put you up in exchange for Euros.

Michael

Thanks for the info Michael.Does'nt plastic make things so much easier for us lot?

Antek,i bought a map today which seems to have most of the smaller roads on it (i think?).I'll take it over to my friend's house this weekend and see if we can agree some sort of route,then i'll email you,ok?

Cheers guys.

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Just going for a short ride on my bike....

JonStobbs, surely is ok :-)

AnteK, XTZ 660